This was good but don’t know if I would read it again. It deserves 3/5 stars, thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book to read!

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ absolutely enjoyed this book! My new favorite from Beatriz Williams 🙌 i simply loved how she weaves characters from previous books and of course being back in Winthrop island is just so special. Same as with her other books, she goes back and forth from past to present and has multiple POVs but it was never confusing and is seamlessly done!

Another great beach read! Meredith Fisher is a famous actress who needs to dry out once and for all to make a comeback. Audrey has tried all her life to escape Meredith's shadow, becoming a chef, marrying and starting a restaurant. Now, her husband left her and all of their problems and debt and Meredith needs a babysitter for the summer sober up. Audrey and Meredith go back to Winthrop Island where Meredith grew up and Audrey's absent dad lives. While Meredith nurses her sobriety every day, Audrey decides to help at the bar her father owns to help pass the time.

Told in a split POV, we also meet Providence Dare as she flees Boston on the Atlantic, a steamship, running from the law after the mysterious death of her employer, artist Henry Irving.

How do these three women come together? A trunk full of never before seen Henry Irving paintings help to bring them together, and maybe to bring Audrey love.

Once again Ms Williams writes a fantastic novel. A story of the history through three generations of women. This is a must read story.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a long read, and at first quite confusing to follow along... You will be taken on a journey through a few centuries and towards the end of the novel all things will becone apparent. Was not my favoirte book, but did have some great points.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Lush, layered, and laced with secrets across centuries

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the ARC of Under the Stars in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is classic Beatriz Williams: dual timelines, generational secrets, and women searching for their place within their family stories. Set against the salt-kissed backdrop of Winthrop Island, Under the Stars blends the emotional weight of a mother-daughter reckoning with the thrill of a historical mystery at sea.

The contemporary timeline follows Audrey, a determined chef trying to navigate her mother Meredith’s chaotic descent from stardom, and Meredith, whose glamorous image masks deep emotional scars. Their return to the island, and the discovery of a long-hidden chest of paintings, sets off a chain of questions tied to the past.

Meanwhile, in 1846, Providence Dare boards the doomed steamship Atlantic in a desperate bid to outrun her past. Her storyline was absolutely gripping, filled with tension, stormy seas, and the lurking threat of exposure. Williams writes the historical chapters with such vivid urgency that I could practically feel the cold spray of the Atlantic as Providence tried to stay one step ahead of the man chasing her.

The threads between past and present come together with elegance, and while some reveals felt a touch predictable, the emotional payoff was still worth it. The exploration of legacy, artistry, and the complicated bonds between mothers and daughters gave the book real heart.

Also: shoutout to the island itself, which feels like a living, breathing character. The setting had just the right amount of windswept beauty and whispered history.

If you enjoy immersive historical fiction with rich female characters, atmospheric detail, and just enough mystery to keep you turning the pages, Under the Stars is a rewarding journey.

Audrey has spent her life in the shadow of her famous mother and has now committed to spending the summer as her caretaker, making sure she detoxes in time to revive her acting career. When they arrive on Winthrop Island Audrey becomes immersed in an historic mystery after finding a painting in an old trunk. The painting is by a famous artist but of a woman that is not identified. As she searches for answers she finds ties to the island, the subject of the painting and a mid-1800's shipwreck that occurred on the island's shore. Williams is a master at tying together numerous timelines and I love how she manages to interweave characters from previous novels. It's just not summer without a Beatriz Williams book to savor.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Under the Stars" and all opinions expressed are my own. First time reading a book by this author. I just could not get into this story. I didn't find this easy to read.

Audrey Fisher is on Winthrop Island for the summer as she is reasonable for making sure her movie star famous mother, Meredith, dries out. She's a professional chef in piles of debt as her husband left town overnight with their money and a bankrupt restaurant. While on the island, she goes to the only bar restaurant and the kitchen is disgusting. It happens to be owned by her father, who had little role of raising her. The island is near the site of a famous shipwreck in the mid 1800s and the story occasionally reads from an excerpt of a woman on the ship fleeing a murder charge.

It's a bit slow to start but it's immediately interesting. I really enjoyed it and liked at the twists.

5.0 stars
HIGHLY recommend

Wow, what a departure for Beatriz Williams! I loved the characters and how different they were from the visitors to Winthrop Island. This book focuses on the locals of the island. They are real, hardworking folks who are the backbone of service for the visitors. These are blue-collar workers, and it was a nice departure from the upper-crust characters - Beatriz writes both beautifully.

This novel is much more "spicy" with much more sexual content and cursing than in her other books. Yes, she uses MY favorite swear word a lot in this novel.

The writing, character development, and storyline are strong! I like that it is different and more nuanced - there are many levels in this novel, just like an onion. Beatriz slices and dices it!!

This is a stand-alone novel, but if you want more backstory, you can read the other Winthrop Island books.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7351299493 - posted 5/31/2025
The StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/6e2b146d-1017-4173-ba2b-8f9fe6fa0d1a?redirect=true - posted 5/31/2025
booksbydorothea Blog: https://booksbydorothea.blogspot.com/2025/05/review-under-stars-earcebook.html- posted 5/31/2025

This historical novel centers around Winthrop Island and is part of a series featuring this locale. I have not read the previous books and yet I felt the story flows well and serves as a stand-alone novel in its own right. The characters are well-developed, and the dynamics of their relationships in storylines bridging two centuries are depth and interest. There is plenty of drama between mother and daughter, an estranged lover (also the father of said daughter) and the distant relative surviving a shipwreck in 1846. The chapters alternate in perspective between the characters and at times I found it frustrating that the jump from one storyline to the other left me wanting to know more immediately rather than wait several chapters later.

Overall, this was an entertaining novel that kept me engaged throughout. As this is my first exposure to this author, I am inclined to seek out the prior novels in this series and look forward to future offerings.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

First day of summer break: I get the ARC for Beatriz Williams' new book. WOO-HOO!

We are back on Winthrop Island, and it's summer. There is an authentic shipwreck from the 1800s to contend with, in an addition to romance, family drama, marital woes, celebrities, undiscovered art, and maybe a murder to solve? It's a lot!

I loved it. Perfect for summer, interesting storylines, lots of detail to make me sad that I am not spending my summer off the Long Island Sound, and I cannot recommend it more.

Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Literally opened this an hour after locking my classroom and submitting my grades. It was just what I needed!

I really enjoyed this novel. The novel details the lives of three women, a mother and daughter and a woman who lived in the 1800’s. The relationship between the three women becomes clear by the end of the book. I found that each of the storylines were so interesting that as chapter was ending, I wanted to flip ahead to the next chapter to see how the story unfolds. If you are a Beatriz Williams fan, you will enjoy this novel. I thought it was one of her best. There are some familiar characters that have been in previous novels but you do no need to have read her previous work. I like how there is a thread between a number of her books. This was a great read. Thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books and most of all Beatriz Williams for a copy of this novel.

Anddddd this Beatriz Williams becomes an auto-buy for me because two 5 star historical fictions in a row??

In this one, we again have a triple timeline thing going on and it’s set on Winthrop Island, with the main characters being Audrey, daughter of a famous movie star, and Providence Dare, a maid fleeing from a tragic event.

Ok first of all, please give it up for Williams’ mastery of weaving different timelines together and having it actually make sense. It was clear as we got the next part of the story and we were easily able to fit it into the puzzle of questions that we had. Then, in this one, we love the side characters, they really made the story. And… WE GOT A MONK AND MALLORY APPEARANCE!! Lastly, I was just vibes and how I always wanted to know what happened next. Honestly, just being hooked is one of the most important things for me.

I really loved this.

Shoutout to sedge duh

Another fantastic read by Beatriz Williams. Filled with numerous easter eggs from previous novels which makes it so much fun to read! All the movie titles that Meredith has starred in will sound familiar if you are a fan of Beatriz. Also, a famous singer will make an appearance.
This dual timeline story on Winthrop Island is a must read. Historical fiction mixed in with current day family drama and a possible love story, what more can you wish for?

Thank you NetGalley, Ballentine Books and Beatriz Williams. All comments and thoughts are my own.
Review posted to Goodreads/Bookbub/Instagram and will post to all available sites upon publication date.

Great writer but I really could not get into this story. Thanks for the opportunity to read but it was just not for me. Good Luck with the boo.

I’ve tried really hard to expand my reading genre and Beatriz Williams has become that auto buy for me when trying to branch out. The story was beautiful, poignant and heartbreaking all at once.

I think once again I'm an outlier with this one. UNDER THE STARS is the newest historical fiction from bestselling author Beatriz Williams. Like many of her novels, she again uses what I personally consider a much overused literary device (other authors use it too). If you're a reader of contemporary fiction, you'll likely recognize it - three women, three stories, three different time periods. All three eventually connect, but their connection is only revealed piece by piece. While I generally look forward to picking up a book by Beatriz Williams, this one disappointed me.

Different chapters are narrated by different characters, which means each time you get involved in one character’s storyline, you are forced to leave it at the chapter’s end to pick up a different story thread. I find this kind of construction winds up limiting my emotional involvement in and concerning for characters - because each of their stories is revealed in interrupted bits and pieces.

So now that you are aware of my overall reaction and prejudices, let me describe a bit about the three main characters:

• Providence Dare - a fictitious character the author has placed onboard the Atlantic, an actual steamship that sunk during a storm near Fishers Island in 1846. Providence was employed as a servant in the home of an American artist, Henry Lowell Irving, also fictitious. Her contribution to UNDER THE STARS comes in the form of a written account of the disaster, filled with details of what happened on the ship as it floundered.

• Meredith Fisher - an aging film star who needs to “dry out” before she begins shooting a new movie that offers the kind of juicy part that could resurrect her career. Her back story takes place in 1993.

• Audrey Fisher - Meredith’s adult daughter who has agreed to supervise her mother’s detox, even though the two of them don’t get along all that well. Audrey is a talented cook whose husband recently disappeared under suspicious circumstances, leaving Audrey with a pile of debts from their joint restaurant business. Her story takes place in 2024.

The stories of all three women take place around Winthrop Island, a creation of the author that's based on Fishers Island, close to where the author lives. All three stories get more and more complex as the book progresses. To the point where I felt the plot took a few turns that seemed far-fetched to me. And I was eager to finish.

I still recommend UNDER THE STARS, because I expect many readers of historical fiction don't share my prejudices about plot construction. And there's certainly enough drama to keep you turning pages. Including a murder charge, uncertain parentage, and numerous romantic obstacles. I think I was just hoping for something more substantial rather than just another formulaic bestseller. Which this will no doubt be.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. 5/5!!!!!

Oh wow I loved this one! Husbands & Lovers was the first book I read by Beatriz Williams, and was my FAVORITE book of 2024, so I was extremely excited to return back to Winthrop Island!

MY SYNOPSIS: Under the Stars is a multi-generational story told from the POV of three women whose stories converge in the present. Audrey, a world-class chef, is tasked with keeping her mother, Meredith, sober while tabloid drama blows over until her next move role. Audrey escorts Meredith to Winthrop Island where nobody will bother them. Providence, a mysterious maid, is aboard the steamship Atlantic in 1846 headed towards New York City. After the world class paintings are discovered in the basement of the Mohegan Inn, the present day timeline really takes off.

MY REVIEW: I really did love every part of this book; the dynamic between Audrey and Meredith is so ‘tell-it-like-it-is’ and their banter had me LOLing; the east coast setting is so atmospheric I could taste the salt breeze; the rich history and backstories each of the three women brought to the table that made them realize they deserve happiness.

The story was perfectly paced, and I found myself enjoying each of the three storylines equally; I loved the addition of the men’s pov’s at the end… hearing both sides of a story brings everything full circle and really gave me a warm feeling. I loved the familiarity of Mallory & Monk Adams, and Sedge Peabody; the reintroduction of the characters really brings the story from the pages to real life with that familiarity.

Under the Stars really serves up a lot; family secrets, long lost artifacts, romance, lust, and love, the rich history of the Atlantic, the east coast setting, a murder mystery (or two)… family legacy and generational truths. Please read this book, it was everything and more!

When Audrey gets the call that she is needed to stay with her mother to ensure her sobriety, they head to Winthrop Island where this story begins to unfold. Under the Stars is a blend of Historical Fiction and Fiction. It follows three women connected to Winthrop Island in dual timelines. Beatriz Williams does a seamless job transporting you from past to present with no confusion.
Providence Dare is fleeing Massachusetts after being suspected of murdering her boss, a world renowned artist. She sets aboard 'The Atlantic' steamship bound for New York in Thanksgiving of 1846. The steamship is caught in a storm and all of the tragedy that unfolds is based upon accounts from survivors. Present day you have Meredith, famous actress who returns to Winthrop Island to gain sobriety with the help of her daughter, Audrey a chef trained at the CIA. I love the mother daughter relationship in this book. I hope there is a continuation of Winthrop Island and the relationships with Audrey and Sedge and Meredith and Mike. I found myself reading the last several pages slower because I just did not want this one to end! This book is a top five of the year for me because it had everything I love to read in a book. It has romance, mystery, historical fiction, and humor.

You must read Author's Note, especially if you love Historical Fiction.